dear jude,
oh sweet girl, guess what? you turned 11 months nearly two weeks ago. i confess that i haven’t gotten anything done in a timely manner this month. all the video and photos i’ve taken? yeah, they’re all still hanging out on memory cards. [note for when you are older, and you giggle at such obsolete technology: a memory card holds the digital files that, at some point, you then upload to your computer.]
the reason for such a long delay in your monthly letter is this: holy hell it’s been a busy month. i’ve started a new position at work, one that keeps later hours than i’d like. later hours means i get to enjoy you in the mornings now, but it also means that i no longer get to give you your nightly bath, or put you to bed. you’re handling the change much better than i am, honestly. i miss the constancy of our routine. onward toward creating new routines, though, right? you are teaching me all about adaptiveness.
we traveled to dallas this month. your grandma (ie, my mom) was visiting from pennsylvania, and we all spent a long weekend together at aunt e’s house. this meant that you and your cousin carlos got to play again. he now spends much of his time hanging out on your play mat these days, and even offers the occasional sly smile. you adore him. when he whimpered or cooed or cried, you crawled up to him, patted him gently on the head or belly, and offered an enthusiastic kiss. incidentally, you now say *bwah* instead of *mwah* for your kissing sounds. i think you are combining “bye” with your kiss. efficiency, kid. i like it.
anyway, you also loved your grandma. she says that your giggle and your looks are just like me at about your age. let’s compare, shall we?
you, kinda zoned:
me, kinda zoned:
yeah, you are definitely my kid.
…but i digress.
so. milestones this month? you now say “hi!” with a whole lot of feeling and nuance. there is the “hi” of happy greeting for your people and pets, and then there is a subtler “hi” given to books and other inanimate objects. OH! you have totally discovered books this month. brown bear and anything featuring elmo are your current favorites. you turn pages for your reader, and often times pay close attention to the words and rhythm of the story. (we read brown bear to the tune of the oompa loompa song.) without fail, you kiss your favorite pages.
another milestone this month was also kind of like the plague. you began to cut your top front teeth. it began with a fever. it escalated into roseola. and then, as the rash went away, you got a cold. the teeth are almost through now, and you’re feeling better. your mother have survived. wow. that was rough.
on 9 may–the day before mother’s day, thank you–you took three unassisted steps toward me. you repeated the motion several times. omg, i said, my kid can walk, and she’s not even 11 months. and then, you stopped doing it altogether. you did this with rolling over too. remember? at 9 weeks, you rolled over. you repeated it enough so we knew it wasn’t a fluke. and then you abruptly stopped, and didn’t do it again for a few more months. i think this may say something about your personality, but i’m not sure what. does it mean that you are out to prove something to the world? “i CAN walk; i simply choose not to. or are you unimpressed with progress? “meh, walking is boring. i’m going back to my efficient, familiar mode of transport.”
…only time will tell. i promise to pay attention to your answer.
love,
mommy
[we have decided that mama h is “mama” and i am “mommy”, mostly because we were confusing ourselves.]
pee ess, here are some pics taken by tio al when we were in dallas:
(as your primary photographer, i so rarely show up in photos with you. it’s nice to see us together, my love.)
we are fambly. 